I thought the article on cell phones was quite interesting.
I was fortunate enough to give a commencement speech last year at UW - Fond du Lac, a smaller, two-year college that flows in to the four year UWs. The focus of my speech was really community...and perhaps the loss of it.
Texting is one way that we can instantly plug in and get information, but then also choose to remain socially distant. I can claim my phone was on silent and in my pocket and I can choose to ignore whomever. But I can also make plans on a dime...such a dilemma.
But ultimately, I think some elements of community might be slipping. Civic engagement and involvement is rather lackluster in the United States - Madison is a unique place. I don't believe a lot of folks know their neighbors, and TV has replaced the need to go out and visit people. You can unplug your mind and just sit there...forever.
Likewise, although you must choose your music on an iPod or actively think to play a video game, perhaps that social detachment is causing today's children to lose ground in everything from handwriting ability and paper-writing skills, to social interaction and etiquette.
I never grew up in the Americana where the neighbors brought us pies and we visited on front porches and the neighborhood kids played baseball until it was dark. (We lived in the country.) Perhaps that has evolved and hasn't been lost. But I do see people afraid to talk to each other and unwilling to participate. They are plugged in, but disconnected from reality.
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I would tend to agree with your argument, I also think there is a pervading apathy to the majority of Americans in general. This probably stems from a "what can you do for me" attitude that most Americans take.
I really think that bringing up the fact that you can "remain socially distant" is a very good point.
So many people say that with the advancing technology we have less and less privacy, which in a lot of ways is true. But we also forget the ways in which we have more privacy. We can choose to ignore phone calls and texts, or even say we never received a text that maybe we did. And if you DO answer your phone, you still have the privacy in the fact that they don't know where you are. When you answer a home phone, you're obviously at home. On your cell you could be anywhere and again have the option of lying about where you are.
Finally, to go along with your last point, a lot of people DON'T have proper etiguette with technology. Sometimes, it's just not ok to be on the phone or texting. I definitely feel that people are losing a feeling of when it is ok and when it isn't.
I remember being shocked and appalled while I was reading Rheingold's article during the mention of the filipinos texting during a funeral. I can not think of any American having the audacity to do that and our country is partially recognized for being rude and somewhat antisocial.
Clearly our two counties have two different styles of texting and what texting means. For us, it is casual, easy, and lazy. For the people of the Philippines it is an established form of communication. It is preferred since a phone call would cost about ten times more.
For this reason I would have to disagree with the thought that this new technology makes us disconnected from reality. For a majority of people, texts, internet and television is how people stay informed on current events, including myself.
I completely agree with your argument. The youth of today is losing important social skills that were prevalent generations ago. Now instead of meeting with people when something needs to be said, we can simply shoot them a text message while sitting in class. There is too much of a lack of responsibility in our society and also a growing lack of community. New communities are arising on the internet, but they are no replacement for actual face to face contact. This lack of contact, can make this world a lonely place. Talking online or keeping in touch through something like facebook cannot replace the feelings that arise when actually around human beings. The strength of communities will only grow weaker until people realize that there is a fine line between keeping in touch and losing touch with reality.
I agree with you that we are getting more and more disconnected from reality. I remember back in elementary school when most people didn't have computers or cell phones. Whenever I wanted to talk to a friend I would usually just knock on their front door. Now if I wanted to talk to a friend I would call them or just send them a text message.
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